'Da Vinci Code' author takes witness stand

March 14, 2006

LONDON (AP) -- In a rare and undesired appearance, "The Da Vinci Code" novelist Dan Brown dismissed as "completely fanciful" claims that he stole the ideas of two authors, saying he read their book only after the structure of his theological thriller was in place. On Monday -- three years to the week after "The Da Vinci Code" was first published -- the multimillionaire writer found himself on the witness stand at London's High Court, denying accusations of copyright infringement from Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh. In a witness statement made public by lawyers as he took the stand, Brown said he was "shocked at their reaction" to his book. Under questioning by the plaintiffs' lawyer, however, Brown acknowledged that he could not always recall exact dates of milestones in the creation of his novel. Both books explore theories -- dismissed by theologians -- that Mary Magdalene was not a prostitute but Jesus' wife, the couple had a child and the bloodline survives. "It's as if you've asked me to go back five years or 10 years and asked me not only what I got for Christmas, but what order I opened the presents," he told Jonathan Rayner James, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, before a courtroom packed with journalists, religious skeptics and fans. The author, a resident of Exeter, N.H., who gives interviews only rarely, appeared composed during testimony. Only occasionally did he show impatience with Rayner James' forensic questioning about documents and dates. Baigent and Leigh are suing "Da Vinci Code" publisher Random House for copyright infringement, claiming Brown "appropriated the architecture" of their 1982 nonfiction book "The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail." If Baigent and Leigh succeed in securing an injunction to bar the use of their material, they could hold up the scheduled May 19 film release of "The Da Vinci Code," starring Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou.